The Quiet Evening
by WeBuiltThePyramids
Summary: Penny and Leonard spend some time together one evening that Priya isn't around.  Platonic Leonard/Penny, references to their past relationship.


**I was on Fanforum yesterday and the topic of Leonard carrying Penny came up. So...here you go, guys!**

**I still don't own anything. :) But if that ever changes I'll let you all know. This takes place shortly before The Engagement Reaction.**

Penny lowered herself onto the couch and tucked her legs up next to her, grabbing the blue blanket and drawing it over her, covering her from the waist down. Propping her elbow up on the back of the couch, she rested her head in her hand and used the other hand to flip on the television. For some reason everything on was either severely depressing or ridiculously corny. Or the news. But that kind of fit in both categories, anyway.

She turned the set off and let the remote fall to the ground. "Bored…" she said quietly, staring at the blank screen and trying to envision something interesting on it. She zoned out, staring at the same spot until she was distracted by a knock at her door. "It's open," she said, hoping it was someone she could talk to.

The door opened slightly and a familiar face appeared in the gap. "Hey, Penny."

"Leonard!" She said, a little too enthusiastically. "Leonard," she said again, calmer this time. It had been nearly a month since he'd been in her apartment, and she felt all sorts of nostalgia seeing him in her doorway again. "What's…going on?"

"Well," Leonard said, "Priya had to work late, and the guys are just…they're being dorks." He tried to make it sound like he was so far removed from that behavior, which caused Penny to smile. "Story of your lives," she said.

"Yeah." Leonard scratched his head. "So, I was thinking that this," he moved his hands to gesticulate where he was standing, "isn't really 'on the down low', because I didn't sneak, you know, I just got up, I got up and walked over here and you're my neighbor and maybe you can't be over there because Sheldon would tell but…" he trailed off.

Penny couldn't help the warm smile that came over her face. She scooted over and patted the seat next to her. Leonard walked across the room and sank down onto the seat. "So…"

"So," she said.

"How have you been?"

"Okay," she said. "I miss you guys. I haven't seen Sheldon in forever."

"You're not missing much," he said, smirking.

"I didn't figure as much." He reached over to adjust the blanket over her foot. "That was…bothering me. Anything on the tube?"

Penny laughed. "Is that more of your street language?"

"I'm really not good at that, am I?" he asked, giving an embarrassed laugh.

"It's adorable," Penny said before she could stop herself.

Leonard smiled at her. "So is there anything?"

"News. Sad movies. It's all boring."

"Gimme the remote," Leonard said, leaning over and picking it up. He flipped the T.V. on and scanned the channels. "Oh, look at this! The second Lord of the Rings movie!"

Penny raised an eyebrow and looked at him, and then back at the television. "Okay."

They settled onto the couch. Penny remembered seeing this movie with Leonard back when they were dating. They were in the other apartment, and she was curled up with him rather than curled up on a couch with space between them, but still, this was nice.

Next to her, Leonard kept glancing over and smiling. She was adorable, she always was, and curled up with the blanket, now drawn almost up to her chin, made her look young and innocent. He wondered if coming over was such a good idea. It made him realize how much he missed her hanging out with them.

They'd come into the movie about forty minutes late, but Leonard only had to explain what was going on once; Penny had seen the movie before, but it was hard for her to remember all the information that he and the other guys had put into her brain. She retained much more than he'd ever expected, though, and he forced himself not to think about how Priya had never cared.

"Is the volume a little loud for you?" He asked her with about fifteen minutes left, glancing toward her for the first time in about the same number of minutes. Her eyes were closed, the blanket had dropped a few inches, and her hands were slack. "Evidently not," he said to himself, turning the movie down anyway. He looked over at her oven clock – it was time to be heading home. Priya hadn't called him; she was probably working too late to come and hang out. Still, Leonard figured he should probably get back to his place before anyone came looking for him. He was actually surprised no one had already.

Maybe they just knew.

Leonard got up and looked down at Penny. She was asleep, but he hated leaving her like that on the couch. He looked over at her bedroom. It wasn't far. He looked back down at her. "Penny?"

Nothing. He'd be concerned if not for the steady rise and fall of her chest.

Leonard moved between her table and the couch, reaching down and tucking an arm under her knees. He slid his other arm around her back, wondering what he would say if she woke up but not concerned enough to stop. He pressed his teeth together as he lifted her off the couch – the hardest part would be actually getting her up – and staggered one step backward as he straightened.

All concerns of what would happen if she woke up evaporated when Penny shifted her weight slightly. "Mmm," she murmured contentedly, tipping her head to fall against his chest. Leonard felt something small inside his chest, something he'd tried so hard to forget, and ignored it, smiling down at her sleeping body. Walking around the coffee table, he moved her to her room and over to the bed. Thankfully, she hadn't made it; the covers were thrown to one side just as they had been when she'd woken up that morning.

Leonard set her down gently and reached past her body to draw the covers over her. She shifted her weight again and a smile came across her lips. Leonard smiled back, he couldn't help it, and then noticed the small red bag on her bedside table. He knew what it was without even picking it up, and he smiled fondly at it for a moment. Then he looked back at Penny, bent down, and kissed her forehead. "Good night," he whispered.

He closed her apartment door quietly, slipped across the hall, and re – entered his own apartment. Like he'd ignored the feeling in his chest earlier that night, he also refused to entertain the thought that entered his head as he drifted off to sleep. The thought that was trying to tell him that he'd had a better time that night then he'd had for the past month.


End file.
